8 comments:

I am thankful for our freedoms, but I am concerned calling those "in the service" these days heroes as many are just letting themselves be used as pawns for the new world order. If our "service men" would refuse to fight in unjust wars, we would not be in a lot of the mess we are in....

Dear Anonymouse,You squeak just like other talking heads who opine on us who have served, not having the slightest idea what it means to serve in our nations's militaries. You are welcome for the freedoms you are so thankful for. Sign me;"Used Pawn", United States Navy, retired...

Patrice the last picture just reached into my chest and took hold of my heart. The picture should be required viewing for every American citizen, and Anonymouses.

Brian,Did you catch the phrase "unjust" wars? Do you understand what that entails? No one fighting in an unjust war will gain/retain anyone's liberty.No one can defend their actions with saying "I was just obeying orders" and it is needful for everyone to understand the world view they are embracing by their actions, especially those in the military and those who are public service officers.Truth can be hard to face, but we must face it as we are heading into some hard times. And if we don't know what to stand for, we will fall for lies.

To those who consider Soldiers, Sailors, Marines or Airmen heroes, thank you, but I have never considered myself as such. Most of the time, when someone addresses my service in uniform, I mumble an uncomfortable thank you and attempt to change the subject. When I enlisted, I swore an oath to uphold the Constitution and the lawful orders of the duly appointed leaders over me. It was, is, and always will be a duty to uphold that oath, an obligation to my fellow Americans, and a love of my country that brought me in front of the officer who took my promise that day. I felt then that my country needed people who would and could volunteer to place themselves in (at the time possible) harm’s way in order to protect her people and interests. I consider America my home and her people my family. I was required by law to register for the draft at age 18; in case my country needed me. Instead I volunteered my active services for four years out of the eight required. Then I volunteered my services for the next four, then six more. I will probably do so until I am told that my services in uniform are no longer required or needed. To me, it is an honor to wear that flag on my shoulder. I represent my country, a place where you and I can disagree about the whys and wherefores of life, religion, love and politics and still possibly walk away as friends or at least with civility. I have been to countries where you cannot express your opinion because it differs from that of the ruling party. Places where you cannot speak ill of the king, literally on pain of death; where if the political party in power loses that power, their supporters have to tread carefully and are filled with apprehension of reprisals by the incoming political power. I live by rules and laws that apply to me as much as the next person. I don’t always agree with them, but here I also have avenues by which to change them if I and enough like-minded individuals believe that law should be changed or removed. This is no joke: the world is a dangerous place. I go elsewhere, and wear my rank, name and U.S. Army on my uniform as a magnet for all those who would love to take potshots at us here at home. I do it not because I think I make that much of a difference by myself. I do it because I looked around at other parts of the world and saw so many people who were begging and clamoring for someone else to stand up for them and their rights, their liberties that I believe God, or whatever higher power there is out there, gave to humans as a definitive part of our nature to make us different from animals. And I saw no one else standing up. If I don’t, who will? I slept in my arms room for three months after 9/11. I had squad mates whose families were in those buildings. I re-upped not because I am a glory hound or love danger. I did it because I don’t trust enough of the people who mouth their nationality as American but throw a hyphen in there because they do not wish to wholly be of this nation with all its rights and wrongs, accepting the bad with the good. America is great here and now, we make it that way with how we live our lives and the impacts we as people make on one another. I could throw in 14 or 15 hyphens if I wanted to and live off of handouts, but I don’t understand that way of thinking. I am an American; end all, be all. I am proud that my country didn’t want to be ruled across an ocean by someone who wouldn’t allow them to have a voice in their own governance. I am proud that we have allowed so many people of so many backgrounds to contribute to a national identity that is so much more a than one ethnicity, religion or political viewpoint. I swore my oath because I believe in America and I believed enough to write that blank check some of us know about. We aren’t heroes. It would be better to call us believers.

I think you may misunderstand the Oath that every person who is "in the service" takes, be they man or woman. It's an OATH. Those who serve, serve. Perhaps if we were as concerned about what we are expecting of our current generation of young (and not so young) military as we seem to be with pro Sports (as an example), we wouldn't be where we are.